BREAKING Tragic NEWS : Olivier Lotterie of the Vineyard Brands was just here ( Tuesday, May 13th, 2014 )
with owner Tyrrel Myburgh ( cellarmaster ) tasting the current releases of the
M.A.N. South African wines that we will sell again from $10-$15 a bottle :
Pinotage, Syrah-Grenache, Chardonnay and Pinotage ... impressive all, and
Olivier says to me : " I have some tragic news for you Tony : " One of our most
beloved winemakers passed away from a heart attack. " I turn to look a t him and
await what follows : " Laurence Faller. " NO! " I scream. " That cannot be!?!
How?!? " And Olivier continues : " I know you knew her personally. "
Danny Haas
would bring her here and one of my fondest memories of Laurence besides her
tasting here in the store with us and with our customers is her taking me to
lunch with Danny Haas over to the INDIQUE restaurant.
Olivier continued : " Danny is devastated. The whole region of Alsace is
devastated. " We are devastated, how sad! Laurence has been here at least three
times that I remember, tasting us, tasting you all, signing bottles, doing all
that she can for her wines, for the wines of Alsace, for France : a classy lady,
a real inspiration, married with two children that survive her, only forty-five
years old : TRAGIC.
The other night with my wife , Maeco, Katherine, Denise and Sandrine we drank
some of Laurence's " Cuvee Laurence " Pinot Gris with a delicious steak meal
that Marco from Rome grilled for us, with a great green tossed salad with buts
and ' special veined and colorfully-explosive deep-rich lavender and red snaking
through the crinkled greens ... a tasty vinaigrette and some brown rice was it
... RIDGE Zinfandel 1985 that I already mentioned here,
and Laurence's
SATURATION of delightful viscous, thick and lulling and wafting and floating
fresh and bright allusion and homage complete to nuts and honey and creams and
dense-deep citrus and vanilla and varied, variegated, voluptuous
flavors-savors-delighting one and all senses, seriously entertaining,pleasing,
teasing, testing, turning and stopping us and our palates with each sip, big or
small ...
the flavors were those to truly savor and not labor, just delight, not
fight, just be swept-up, just be harmonized, humored and everything but hammered
as they made their entrance, found their space and placed - all these lasting
Pinot Gris golden-rich-colored tastes of the " Cuvee Laurence '!
I always had to buy more of the " Cuvee Laurence " in homage, in appreciation of
her, her beauty, the intensity of her eyes, the way she would with them grab
yours and hold your eyes for a lifetime before releasing them.
The way her hair that was drawn back tightly to mold her youthful and edged
features. She was so beautiful, so simple in her stylishness, little
embellishments of this or that that spoke volumes always. It was always a treat
to be in her presence and to taste with her.
She was always very attuned and very attentive to all that was going on around
her. One one of her visits she was here when Aurelio Cabestrero came and visited
with one of his Spanish owners/producers. I have pictures of all of that and
need to share them now more than ever before.
We have some of Laurence's wines here today like the Muscat Reserve 2009 " Clos
des Capucins " , On Special for $36.99, 13% alcohol by volume, and I will have
to open a bottle today and celebrate her life as well as that of everyone at
DOMAINE WEIBACH from Kaysersberg , and from family members : Colette, Catherine
et Laurence ... as well as the ' new ' generation there that I do not know yet.
Laurence you are loved, will be missed, you are so special!
The last visit from Danny Haas when he came a month or so bearing his
twenty-or-so wines included a bottle of the DOMAINE WEINBACH and after tasting
it and sharing it - actually it included two bottles , a Grand Cru and another -
Danny knowing how much I liked Laurence, left both bottles, one of which I took
home as Joe took home the Grand Cru. Thanks you Danny, we feel your pain. We are
all pained.
I toast now here to you Laurence. Merci pour tous, c'est bien trop tot que tu
viens de nous quitter, nous sommes tous bien tristes! Ce n'est pas juste ca,
vraiment pas juste. I die myself a little with this sad news Laurence.
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